FA Cup Player Ratings: Manchester City vs. Manchester United

Yaya Toure scored the only goal as Manchester United’s treble dream was ended by the Ivory Coast man’s strike. Paul Scholes was sent off in the second half but did nothing to dispel and awfully disappointing performance from the Red Devil’s at Wembley. The noisy neighbours have just turned up the volume.

Manchester City

25. Joe Hart

The young England goalkeeper was brilliant and proved how good he is and did not look like he was going to be beaten. He made two stand out saves but was dominant throughout. He spread well when Berbatov was through on goal to deny United the opener and tipped Nani’s free kick on to the bar to prevent United equalising. 7(out of 10)

5. Pablo Zabaleta

The Argentinian had a solid performance at Wembley. Micah Richards probably would have played if fit but Zabalata proved that he should probably play more games than he does. He was extremely dogged in defence and was as reliable as ever. He was high going in for the challenge which Scholes got sent off for but he epitomised hard work, like his team. 7

4. Vincent Kompany

The Belgian defender was once again brilliant. He reads the game perfectly and was a very popular choice as captain. He is a vital member of City’s side and probably more of a deserving captain than Carlos Tevez. Few in blue would argue if he was to be given the captaincy full time. 8

19. Joleon Lescott

Lescott still has his doubters and he wasn’t exactly solid. He looks confident next to Kompany and in front of Joe Hart but he is one of City’s weak links. He didn’t have too much to deal with in truth. He had blasted a volley over from a corner in the first half, should have done better with it. 6

13. Aleksandar Kolorov

Kolorov is very good going forward and made a few runs getting the better of O’Shea in the process but his final ball isn’t great. His defending isn’t always the best either but Valencia was kept relatively quiet throughout. He dealt with the Ecuadorian well. 6

42. Yaya Toure

A dominant display from the former Barcelona man saw him score the winner that sends City back to Wembley for the final. He managed to get half a yard of space over Vidic after the ball fell kindly to him. Sloppy play from Carrick especially but someone still had to finish it off. Powerful performance worthy of the man of the match. MAN OF THE MATCH 8

34. Nigel de Jong

De Jong had previously called the semi final bigger than the World Cup final for City. He certainly gave a battling performance, tackling when needed. He didn’t always play the right ball but he is more a destroyer of play than a maker of it. 7

18. Gareth Barry

Barry has taken some harsh criticism of late for his performances but he had a positive effect on City. He drove them on in the first half when it looked like his team mates were going to freeze on the big stage by throwing himself into tackles and tracking Park, Carrick and Scholes really well. 7

11. Adam Johnson

Johnson didn’t have as big of an effect on the game that he and City would have liked but it wasn’t a game for brilliant attacking play. He made some good positive runs but nothing really came of it. He was replaced by Wright Phillips. 6

21. David Silva

The World Cup winning Spaniard showed his class on several occasions. He was given too much space by the United midfield at times but struggled to really make anything. He was always confident in possession and always positive thinking. 6

45. Mario Balotelli

Balotelli loves controversy and when it got to 90 minutes without him being the headline maker he decided to anger the United players. Especially angered was Ferdinand after a supposed wink at the former England captain. He played okay but never really looked like scoring. He did work hard, which is really hard to imagine him doing. 6

Subs:

8. Shaun Wright Phillips

Wright Phillips was a positive substitution who used his pace to great effect as Mancini looked for a more direct approach to Adam Johnson. 6

The Dutchman didn’t have too much work to do but he did tip a Balotelli effort over the bar. He was confident coming for crosses but did miss kick a clearance in the lead up to the winner. An F.A cup medal was not meant to be for the soon to be retired goalkeeper. 6

22. John O’Shea

Usually a solid performer when called upon but the Irishman struggled to make an impact. Dealing with Kolorov and Silva proved difficult and because of these defensive responsibilities didn’t get forward almost anywhere near enough. Better is expected. 5

5. Rio Ferdinand

There wasn’t a great deal Ferdinand could have done about the City goal. To be fair to him he looked comfortable, confident and more importantly for United, he looked fit. His composed performance was made even more impressive by the fact that his wife gave birth overnight. Ferguson will be happy to have his first choice defensive pairing back for the run in. 7

15. Nemanja Vidic

The big Serbian defender was left chasing Yaya Toure after the Ivorian found half a yard of space to get a shot away but was still as solid as he usually is partnered with Ferdinand. It was an opportunity for Vidic to hold the FA cup high in his first season as captain but he will have to wait longer for that now. The league and Europe await still.7

3. Patrice Evra

Evra still seems to be struggling to find his old attacking himself. He was solid in defence against Adam Johnson but apart from one or two forward runs didn’t trouble the City defence. 6

16. Michael Carrick

Carrick had an okay game but his mistake overshadows all. Passing straight to Toure before he finished off. It was a shock to see this performance from a player that has seen the last two weeks his best at United. Big disappointment on the day. 5

18. Paul Scholes

United were up against it and Scholes’ silly challenge on Zabaleta, which got him a deserved red card, did not help his team mates. Chasing the game, a team needs everyone singing from the same hymn sheet. His passing was good but like Carrick, one incident will be remembered. 4

25. Antonio Valencia

Valencia was not effective at all. The Ecuadorian would have been fancied to get the better of Kolorov’s lack of defensive acumen but flattered to deceive for the first time since returning from injury. He was replaced after 65 minutes by Chicharito. 5

13. Ji-Sung Park

Hard working and industrious again from the South Korean but there was no final ball or cutting edge to his performance. He is another one who played well against Chelsea and failed to live up to recent very high standards. 5

17. Nani

Nani had another good game on the left flank for United. His pace caused the City defence problems and he did set up Berbatov to slot in from a yard out but the Bulgarian failed to score. Joe Hart tipped Nani’s free kick onto the bar in which proved to be one of United’s better chances. 7

9. Dimitar Berbatov

Berbatov will get a lot of stick for not putting away his two chances in a minute but he needs a partner up front. The Bulgarian loves playing off of someone like Hernandez and that would have been a better selection. After missing the two chances he lacked self belief and was eventually subbed. 5

Subs:

14. Javier Hernandez

The movement and energy was there for Hernandez but the vital goal was not. He replaced Valencia but had to play the final part of the game isolated up front. It is a big shame he didn’t start. 6

8. Anderson

Anderson was positive and energetic in his approach from midfield. With the few touches he did have he tried to get forward and make something happen. He didn’t have enough time to make an impact but still showed some good touches. 6